Monday, March 14, 2016

Meghan MacLaren flies to Portugal for big

match after T5 finish in Arizona

By COLIN FARQUHARSON Meghan MacLaren (Florida State University), a member of Wellingborough Golf Club, Cambridge, flew overnight from Phoenix to Porto, Portugal, after finishing T5 - three shots behind the winner - in the Clover Cup 54-hole women's college tournament at Longbow Golf Club, Mesa in Arizona.Meghan's father, European Tour director David MacLaren, said:"Meghan was in the lead with three holes to go (although very difficult to
judge as it was a shotgun start) and made a double bogey on her second last
hole, the fourth."Her drive missed the fairway by a yard. Her eight-iron second turned over
slightly in the rough and bounced left into the water. "She was very
disappointed I think but it’s another top five and her finishes since
Christmas have been: 8th, 8th,
55th, 7th and 5th, so lots of encouragement and consistency. She is currently in the air somewhere above Canada I think!"

It was her third top-five finish of the 2015-2016 US college season and her aggregate of three-under 213 was her lowest of the season.Meghan shot rounds of 70, 71 and 72. Starting at the sixth hole in her final round, she birdied the eighth, 14th, 15th and 18th but dropped shots at the 13th and second holes before that double bogey at the fourth.The individual winner was Brooke Graebe (Texas Christian) who scored 67, 72 and 71 for 210, one shot ahead of runner-up Rylee Pedigo (Oklahoma) 71-70-70.Meghan's FIU team-mate Sophie Godley got better every round with scores of 81, 76 and 73 for a T43 finish on 230 in a field of 99 players.Florida International (875) finished fifth of 17 teams with Southern Methodist (858) the winners from Texas Christian (866), Oklahoma (873) and Notre Dame (874).Later this week at a northern Portugal venue, MacLaren (and late substitute Chloe Williams, replacing Olivia Mehaffey who is too ill to travel and play), will make her debut for Europe against an Asia-Pacific line-up.